Apps collect data on users even when not in use

A couple of researchers at MIT are reporting that some popular smartphone apps are collecting a lot of information about users, even when the apps aren't being used.

We're talking games like "Angry Birds," which, they found tracks the phone owner's location. Another app, Bowman, collects information on a user's web-surfing habits. For technical reasons the researchers could only test out apps on Android phones, not iPhones.

Sarah Gardner is a reporter with Marketplace's Sustainability Desk. Her past projects include “We Used To Be China,” “Coal Play,” “Consumed,” “The Next American Dream,” “Jobs of the Future,” and “Climate Race,” among others. Sarah began her career at Marketplace as a...